By: Debbie Dalrymple
(Dec 11, 2009)
Maybe my expectations were too high but I expected oranges that weren't green. I paid more than I would have at the grocery store for oranges that didn't taste any better. I'm glad I tried them because I prefer for more of my money to go directly to the grower but I was disappointed that I didn't receive oranges that were more ripe. I guess I'll learn what a green "orange" tastes like. To be fair, only some of them were green but I thought I was buying directly from the grower and I didn't expect any of them to be green.
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Many thanks for taking the time to write a review, Debbie. You actually raise an interesting point. The green pigment in the peel of oranges is chlorophyll. When the weather turns cool in the winter, the peel color "breaks", and the chlorophyll disappears, allowing the yellow and orange pigments to appear. The flavor of the fruit, on the other hand, comes from level of sugars. The warmer the weather, the more juice and sugar in the fruit, which determines ripeness. In Florida, it's not unusual to have warm weather all the way until Christmas, which delays color break but increases sugar and juice. This is one of those years. The fruit is completely ripe even though it still has a little green color in the peel. California has lots of cool nights, so their fruit is very orange, but doesn't have as much juice and sugar. Commercial packers in Florida degreen the fruit so it's nice and orange, but we don't. It takes time, and we like to ship as soon after picking as possible, plus it isn't natural. So, it isn't unusual to see some green in the peel of our fruit, even thought it's completely ripe, until we get enough cool weather to complete the process. In regard to the flavor, I'm surprised by your report. The internal quality of this year's Navel crop is the best we can remember. I've had to be careful to not overdo it when I'm in the grove testing the fruit. We do have a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and we do understand that our customers have high expectations, so we'll get a replacement box out to you right away. Hope you find the fruit to be what we represent.